May 16: Ready to Tackle the Nullarbor!

When I was in Streaky Bay, everyone who talked about Ceduna only had bad things to say. They made it out to seem that Ceduna was a hotbed of crime. People only came to Ceduna to get parts for their caravans, or stock up for the Nullarbor. Nobody talked to anyone. Well, as usual, I have not found that to be the case at all. I’ve talked to many people in the caravan park and the town. In fact, I’ve found Ceduna to be one of my favorite places. The town is compact, and easy to walk around. It’s clean and has everything one could need. It even has an outdoor shop with bike stuff. I went to add some air to my rear tire (something that hasn’t been done since Maria Island off Tassie), and discovered my bike pump was nonfunctional. This one part (a small little coiled hose) had basically disintegrated. I went to the outdoor shop, and was able to get a new pump. Most amazing of all was that it only cost $10.99! And, it’s not crap either! Anyway, I’ve found all the trash talk about Ceduna to be unfounded.

This morning my new friend, Steve, and I went to the Foodland. He was getting stuff for the rest of his trip with his friend and breakfast. I got a backpack full of food for the Nullarbor (trip one, I later went back for another backpack full). The idea is to carry as much food as possible. While there are places to get food along the Nullarbor, it will be wildly expensive, and the selection will be limited. So, I will be starting my trek across the Nullarbor with the following:

Breakfast:

12 sachets of oatmeal

20 sachets of hot cocoa

A big bag of granola

2 bananas (it’s hard to carry many...besides, I can’t carry fruit and veggies across the border into Western Australia)

Bag of raisins

Bag of diced apricots

Lunch/Snacks:

1 jar of peanut butter

1 jar of Nutella 

1 jar of jam

Trail mix

Fruit and nut Dairy Milk Bar 

Jelly beans

3 Snickers

2 Cherry Ripe Bars

3 granola bars

Small packet of crackers

Dinner:

6 cans of chicken

3 cans of beans

18 tortillas

6 pouches of rice

Parmesan cheese

Cheddar cheese block

The panniers are full full full! Of course this won’t last me all the way across, but it should be pretty good. I’ll supplement as necessary from the roadhouses.

I watched Steve pack up his stuff. He gave me a pair of bike shorts that he didn’t wear as they didn’t really fit him well. I tried them on, and they fit me just fine. Might be good for some of the longer days. As I’ve said, I think the lack of bike shorts has limited my ability to go longer distances (or, more accurately, ride for a longer time).

After Steve was all packed up, we went to the bakery. He treated me to a juice and pastry. I’m sure we will keep in touch. He just lives in Vancouver, BC. He has made my stay in Ceduna quite enjoyable. 

So, food has been gathered, laundry has been done, friends have been made, and I feel ready to tackle the Nullarbor!

Steve’s campsite (even though Steve said I could put his photo on my blog, and therefore Facebook, I’m respecting his desire to not have his photo on Facebook)

The Foreshore and jetty of Ceduna